


Secrets

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 22:37:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7951924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Madison learns a few secrets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets

Madison woke up from dreams of darkness. She'd been drowning, and she'd lost Nightdust, and that man... She wiped her eyes but got out of bed, sniffling. That had been real, she recognised her bedroom at the Hermit's hut. Her ribs also painfully reminded her of everything that had happened, as did her throat. It was sore from coughing up sea water and screaming her horse's name.

The Hermit's house was in darkness. Not even the kitchen candle was lit. Maybe he was asleep. But then she heard a noise that definitely came from him. She vaguely remembered hearing singing too, but maybe that had just been her grandmother healing herself. Madison was the only one in the family apart from her grandfather (and great grandfather of course) who saw her grandmother's secret every day. Madison walked towards the only other bedroom, sneaking like a spy. Maybe she could learn some secrets.

"Oh, Charles." She recognised the voice but not the name. Who was Charles? Was there another man here?

Madison finally got to the door, which was open just slightly. Light spilled out through the crack, illuminating everything within. She could see the bed, and something moving beneath the sheets. Her grandmother laughed, a girlish sound, and Madison saw her unbound hair like ink on the pillow.

"I didn't finish the song yet," her grandmother murmured, kissing the man on top of her. "Eager, aren't you, Charles?"

"It's your singing voice," said the man. Oh, so Charles was the Hermit's real name. She'd always wondered. And then she heard more singing, like the singing she sometimes heard off the shore or on the breeze that blew over South Hoof. Her grandmother made another noise, and Madison saw the sheets moving. The movement was familiar, but she couldn't place it.

When she finally got it, Madison gasped and decided to abort the mission. She returned to headquarters (her bedroom) and muttered into the headset (she pretended that she had a microphone attached to her headphones).

"I have discovered important information," Madison muttered. "My grandfather's name is Charles. He likes my grandmother's singing voice, which is the song that I can hear sometimes. And they're..." Her cheeks flushed pink and she twiddled her fingers. "They are currently making foals. Or whatever the human equivalent is."

Her report made, Madison climbed back into bed and fall asleep.

Her grandmother was still there when Madison awoke the next morning. The woman sat at the kitchen table, a mug of bitter-smelling tea between her hands. Maybe to help with the foal?

"Hi grandma," said Madison, hopping up into a chair. She couldn't contain her excitement at the sight of her. "Are you having a foal?"

Jess was glad that she hadn't been drinking. "What?"

"I saw you last night," said Madison, unsure why her grandmother's cheeks were turning red. "Daddy said that when two horses do that, they're making foals."

"Uh..." Jess was at a loss for words. "How much did you see?"

"Just the sheets moving," said Madison. Jess sighed in relief.

"No, we weren't making foals," said Jess. "Humans don't have foals. We were..." Jess had no idea how to continue.

"Oh yeah, I thought that didn't make sense," said Madison. "Babies, then. Can you even have babies? Grandpa's so old and you are too but you don't look old." Somewhere, Jess knew, her sisters were laughing at her.

"Yes I can but no we weren't," said Jess. "When two adults like each other a lot or just want to, they do that. And there are ways to stop a woman getting pregnant."

"Really? How?" asked Madison. Maybe she could do this with someone during her role playing-

"No! Please don't do that, your parents will kill me," said Jess. "Sorry for reading your mind, by the way."

"But how do you not have babies?" asked Madison.

"I have a special song that I sing," said Jess. "Because I'm a siren, my songs have magic. One song stops me from getting pregnant."

"Why don't you want a baby?" asked Madison. Her grandmother looked sad at the question.

"Many reasons," said Jess. "I want one but I'm very busy at the moment. And your grandfather is too now."

"I didn't know his name was Charles," said Madison. "Can you tell me more about him? About your love story?"

"Don't you have school?" asked Jess.

"Aww, please?" asked Madison. "I'm too sad for school and your story might cheer me up." She turned teary, pleading eyes on Jess.

"Oh, alright," said Jess. "I have to heal my tail anyway so wait outside the bathroom for me."

Jess called Madison in once she was in the bathtub with a bra on.

"Woah, scars," said Madison. Jess wished that she'd worn a shirt now. She'd forgotten about the scar down her stomach from an undersea battle. Her sister had fought her when she'd returned to Dark Core after Jonas had been born. She deserved it, though. For being so selfish when she knew that Katja was hurting so much. She'd known that Katja had accepted it too easily. At least her little sister had finally grown a spine.

"Grandma?" Jess realised that she'd fallen silent, and looked at Madison.

"Sorry," said Jess with a little sheepish smile. She shouldn't get bogged down in the past when her future was looking at her with hopeful, shiny eyes. "See that powder there?" She pointed at a small glass container of pink powder. "Tip some of it into the water for me and don't stop until the water turns red."

"It already looks red," said Madison. Jess frowned at her bleeding cuts.

"Hmm. Okay, that complicates things," said Jess. Her cuts had been fine last night, but that was in her human form. "Just keep tipping it in then until I tell you to stop. I have to warn you, it will hurt me, but don't stop until I tell you to."

Madison looked pale, but she picked up the pink powder and began to carefully tip it into the water. Jess hissed and clutched the edges of the tub, her claws clacking aginst the metal. Madison kept going, though, trying to ignore the siren's howl of agony.

"Okay, you can stop now," said Jess, and opened her eyes again. "It's better than getting an infection."

"Is it a disinfectant?" asked Madison. "Grandpa uses it sometimes when a horse has a cut." He'd have to use it on Nightdust and the other ponies when they got them back.

"Yes, it is," said Jess. "Now I can just heal." She laid back in the red water, trying to ignore the flashes of pain along her tail.

"Did you do that saving me?" asked Madison, seeing the black shape beneath the water.

"Yes. I didn't really feel it until I got home, though. You were more important," said Jess. She'd collapsed as soon as Madison had been taken care of, though. She didn't want to think about how much blood she'd lost.

"Will it scar?" asked Madison.

"It will be the one scar I can be proud of," said Jess. "Because I got it saving you."

"Will you tell me about the other ones?" asked Madison. Jess put her hand over her stomach.

"No," said Jess. "Not until you're older." She wouldn't ruin the child's innocence like that. She'd done enough damage last night.

"What about how you met grandpa?" asked Madison.

"Now that's one I don't mind telling," said Jess. "Once upon a time, a siren washed up on a beach..."


End file.
